China on Monday relaxed family planning rules to allow three children per couple amid surging concerns over a dropping birth rate and aging population, state media Xinhua reported. The decision comes after a meeting hosted by President Xi Jinping with China’s elite Politburo leadership committee.

“To actively respond to the aging of the population, a couple can have three children,” Xinhua said. 

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According to National Bureau of Statistics 2019 data, the total population of China’s younger demographic has dropped 100 million in 30 years. While the country’s newborn population dropped 2 million in 2018, compared to 2017.

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However, the number of senior citizens has increased by 8 million, Yao Jingyuan, the chief economist of the National Bureau of Statistics said.